ritual, politics, and power - david i. kertzer

8/9/2019 Ritual, Politics, And Power - David I. Kertzer

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Ritual, Politics,

and Power - DavidI. Kertzer

BOOK REVIEW

Student: Roert !ristian Sandu


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!"a#ters

• $. %"e Rites o& Power

• '. (la)in* !rosses and Bod+ Snatc"ers

• . e*iti)ac+ and +sti/cation

• 0. %"e Virtues o& 1)i*uit+

•

2. %"e Ritual !onstruction o& Political Realit+• 3.

• 4.

• 5.

• 6.

1t t"e e*innin* o& eac" c"a#ter, t"e aut"or attac"es a

di7erent stor+ related to t"e #role) "e is *oin* to addre


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Introduction

• David I. Kertzer anal+zes t"e i)#ortance o& s+)olic in #olitics.

• %"e researc" is ased on t"e aut"or8s e9tensive e9#eranal+zin* t"e s+)ols o& t"e )ost diverse #olitical re*

&ro) di7erent tries in 1&rica, to t"e #olitical re*i)escountries suc" as Brazil, S1, Ital+, etc. t"rou*"out scenturies t"us otainin* a *loal vision and discovericertain #attern t"at a##lies to all )odern societies.


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%"e /rst c"a#ter e)#"asizes t"e i)#ortance t"aritual "as in )odern #olitical li&e.

1s a result, rituals can e discovered in as#ects

a. t"e irt" o& a #olitical #art+. Presidential inau*urationc. t"e )eetin*s o& t"e 1)erican !on*ressd.


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• %"e aut"or ar*ues t"at t"e ritual is useorder to ce)ent t"e status =uo and alsole*iti)ize c"an*e ein* used ot" + ;

to consolidate aut"orit+ and + t"erevolutionaries wit" t"e intention o&overt"rowin* )onarc"ies.


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%"e 'nd !"a#ter

•(ocuses on anal+zin* "ow t"e ritual in>uences t"eor*anizational as#ect o& #olitics

•?ow so)e rituals eco)e wa+s to s+)olize t"e)e)ers"i# o& a certain #olitical or*anization @clot"

*estures, oat"s etc. A•S+)ols eco)e t"e wa+ t"rou*" w"ic" #eo#le relaone or*anization or anot"er

• 1lso, t"e aut"orit+ inside t"ese or*anizations is"i*"li*"ted t"rou*" s+)ols


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%"e rd 0t" !"a#ter

• In t"e ne9t ' c"a#ters t"e aut"or tal;saout rituals as )eans o& e7ectivele*iti)ization and descries t"e) as "a

t"e role o& stren*t"enin* t"e status =uoand #roduce solidarit+ a)on* )e)erst"rou*" s"ared values


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!"a#ter 2 3

• %"e ritual seen as a valuale tool in uildin* t"e #orealit+

• nderstandin* #olitics is conditioned + t"eunderstandin* o& rituals

• Rituals are considered a #ower&ul and co)#le9#"eno)ena

• Rituals are considered arenas desi*ned &or #oliticaattles, t"at "ave t"eir own #ower


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!"a#ters 45

• %"e ritual is considered a wa+ t"rou*" w"ic"#olitical di7iculties can e resolved, it can de#olitical #ressures and it is seen as )eans o&addressin* t"reats

• %"e ritual can create so)e ;ind o& #o#ularsolidarit+ as is t"e case o& t"e (renc" Revoluw"en a real consensus was )issin*

• Or it can e used to le*iti)ize new re*i)es a

institutionalize t"e) as is t"e case o&


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%"e 6t" !"a#ter

• In t"e last c"a#ter t"e aut"or tries to )a;e treader understand t"at t"ere is not a sin*les+ste) o& s+)ol t"at *ives )eanin* to #olitut a )i9ture o& s+)ols t"at ulti)atel+ *ive)eanin* to t"e #olitical universe


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• %"e )ain ar*u)ent o& t"e oo; is t"e val

t"e s+)olis) in )odern #olitics• %"e aut"orCs a##roac" is not ased on t"

e9a)ination o& t"e e9traordinar+, insteadidenti/es t"e s+)olis) o& t"e real #oliti

t"e one t"at ever+od+ ;nows• ?e sees rituals as )eans o& eauti/catio

#olitics @#a*e $2A

• Kertzer considers t"at rituals and s+)ol

us understand t"e "u)an e9istence and


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• 1not"er conce#t t"at t"e aut"or anal+ses is t#olitical or*anization t"at cannot e i)a*ine

wit"out considerin* its s#eci/c s+)olis), w*ives it a certain identit+ and continuit+.

• Kertzer *ives t"e e9a)#le o& t"e #ower stru*inside #olitical s+ste)s t"at is re#resented

s+)olic rituals, )eant to send a )essa*e too##osition ut also to t"e societ+


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!onclusion

• David KertzerCs oo; "as eco)e an i)#ortant #oint re&erence &or understandin* t"e c"aracteristics s+)*loal #olitics )ainl+ t"rou*" clear and concise e9a)t"at "is #oint o& view.

•?is oo; )a;es t"e transition etween #olitics *uidedrational decisions to a new understandin* o& #olitics, on s+)ols and rituals and t"at )a;es #eo#le relate t

• 1n use&ul tool in understandin* conte)#orar+ #olitics

ritual, politics, and power - david i. kertzer

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